Dean Ashton's forced retirement rubs salt into Gianfranco Zola's wounds

Ken Dyer
9 Nov 2009

West Ham 1-2 Everton

West Ham have reluctantly accepted the fact their England striker Dean Ashton will be forced to retire from the game through injury.

Ashton, who will be 26 later this month, last played a senior match 14 months ago and has never fully recovered from an ankle injury suffered while training with England in Manchester in August 2006.

The former Crewe and Norwich striker did return to action in 2007 and even won an England recall. West Ham manager Gianfranco Zola has steadfastly refused to write off Ashton but it is understood that the big striker has had to admit defeat because of chronic degeneration in the ankle.

West Ham, who are expected to announce Ashton's retirement later this week, will now instigate a £7million insurance claim against the Football Association. Two leading experts have given their verdict that Ashton has little chance of making a complete recovery and the club are thought to have medical evidence supporting the view that the player's chronic problems began when he was injured in a tackle by Manchester City winger Shaun Wright-Phillips, who was a Chelsea player at the time.

Ashton is also likely to make a claim, although it is uncertain whether that will be against the FA or Wright-Phillips himself.

The news about Ashton is an added blow for Zola, who has never been able to select the striker. How he would have liked to have picked him against Everton as a replacement for West Ham's other England striker, Carlton Cole, who has a hamstring strain.

Instead, Zola had no option other than to play 20-year-old Zavon Hines to partner Mexican striker Guillermo Franco up front. Hines, who scored the winner against Aston Villa four days earlier, missed a clutch of chances as Zola's team dropped back into the bottom three of the Premier League.

Everton striker Louis Saha scored with his side's only shot in the first half after 26 minutes and teenager Dan Gosling doubled their advantage in the 63rd minute.

An own goal from Tony Hibbert two minutes later revived hopes for West Ham but Hines again missed two terrific opportunities before the end as Everton held on.

"We had many chances and they had only two," said a crestfallen Zola. "That is a big question mark for me because how can we lose a game like that? A team that plays as well as us has to get more points.

"The players' attitude and commitment was very good but we have to find out straight away why this can happen because it is doing us no favours.

"Carlton Cole is a big player for us but what can we do? It's something we have to cope with and against Aston Villa we did well enough without him."

Cole has been ruled out of England's trip to Abu Dhabi this week but Zola is optimistic he will be fit for West Ham's next game, away to Hull, on Saturday 21 November.